Tunisia
1st Jun, 2013
Wow. Time flies. I cant believe it has been a month since we arrived in Tunisia. We spent a bit more time there than expected because of the work being done on the boat. But we got away and couldn’t wait to explore more of the country, especially the South.We have moved on spending (more...)Visiting Gozo and Malta
1st Jun, 2013
After a nice sail from Tunisia, as Noel wrote on the blog while ago, we arrived in Malta on May 31st. Our first port of call was in this picturesque fishing port of Mgarr, in the beautiful island of Gozo. We anchored just outside the harbour and soon after a young man from the Harbour (more...)A New Look for Life Part 2
24th May, 2013
For the past two weeks we have been stuck on the hard in Monastir getting some work done – bottom painting, interior woodwork revarnished, a bit of a repair on the keel, some stainless steel work, and a new table for the salon. It has been, shall we say, ‘interesting’. These people seem to have (more...)Pantelleria: That Self-Adjusting Natural Sauna is Cool (er… Hot)!
4th May, 2013
It is unfortunate that the town of Pantelleria presents such an uninviting face. Totally destroyed in the last war, it was rebuilt in a hurry with concrete blocks. It is clean, certainly, but it wins no points for charm. As a result, I suspect that many people who stop here on the way between Tunisia (more...)Great Reach Across to Pantelleria
2nd May, 2013
We left Porto Empedocle at 19:30 and had a great sail across in winds varying from 10kts to 25kts, mostly a broad reach, before finally having to motor the last two hours. We arrived in Porto Vecchio on the North Coast of Pantelleria at 11am only to find Paul and Gabby from Marina di Ragusa waiting on the dock to take our lines! Tomorrow they leave for Tunisia, and we take over their 25 euro a day car to do a quick tour of the island- including the hot springs and natural sauna. It will be good to explore here, though the town itself will never win any architectural awards! We will update with photos as soon as we can!Departing for Pantelleria
1st May, 2013
After the relatives and the gales departed, we ourselves departed from Marina di Ragusa. It was a beautiful sunny Sunday, and we left the harbour in light winds in company with Big Sky, Castor en Pollux, and Deja Vu III. Fabuloso, skppered by our friend Roger of Burnout, was a couple of hours ahead of (more...)On Our Way!
28th Apr, 2013
My parents have left, after a great 2 week visit. The maintenance work and upgrades have been done. The sun is shining, and a nice 15knot breeze blowing in the right direction. So we are off! First just going down the coast to Licata and then Empodocle, and then headed for Tunisia via a brief visit to Pantelleria. We will keep you informed!Back on Board!
11th Apr, 2013
From Canada we went to the UK, where I spent a week freezing off my butt in ridiculous temperatures, while Ceu wen to Portugal to visit her family. We then took an EasyJet flight ,with a 15hp outboard engine in our checked luggage, and arrived in Catania, Sicily at 9pm. A large van took us (more...)Final Skiing and then it is Back to the Med!
18th Mar, 2013
Having a great winter, with some awesome skiing. But now the winter is over, the bags are almost packed (full of bits for the boat, again, of course), and we depart on April 1st to UK and then onwards to Sicily. The adventure continues. 🙂Snugly Tucked Up In Ragusa
29th Oct, 2012
On Saturday we had our last sail of the year. 🙁 From Syracuse we motored in a calm down to Porto Pallo, where we anchored on the west side in about 2m of water, nicely protected from the SW swell and expected winds. Then on Saturday we set off with 15kts from the South. There (more...)Twisters! Yikes!
25th Oct, 2012
Man, was that scary! We set off from Catania for Syracuse at 9am today. The forecasts was for 5kts of wind from the East. But as we set off, it was actually 19kts from the east, with dark brooding clouds and some rain. Because it was raining, we didn’t feel like putting up the main, (more...)Stromboli Fireworks!
21st Oct, 2012
Hello all Now that you have read Noel’s post about our experience with the water spouts let me tell you what we have been up to in the beautiful Aeolean Islands the past 2 weeks. Vulcano After the strait of Messsina, our first stop was at Volcano Island where we climbed to the crater (more...)Crossing The Messina Strait – And Living to Tell the Tale!
12th Oct, 2012
The forecast said that the westerly winds had ended, and a southerly should be in place for today. That was good enough for us. So at 05:50 this morning we upped anchor and set off with great trepidation to brave the savage whirlpools of Charybdis and Scilla. High Water Girbraltar was at 0008 hrs. The (more...)Arrivederci beautiful Taormina
10th Oct, 2012
Beautiful Taormina is situated in the south coast of Sicily almost at the tip where you get the boot! It is again, after Syracuse, one of the nice spots we visited before we’re headed through the Messina strait, which separates Sicily from mainland Italy in the Ionian sea. Taormina is about 200 meters above (more...)Adventures in Reggio di Calabria
9th Oct, 2012
Taormina is beautiful. Perched up on the mountain, it is all quaint narrow streets, beautiful venetian balconies and, of course, dozens of churches. We spent a lovely day climbing up the mountain to the castle and to Castelmola, the town above Taormina. We will get photos up as soon as we can. Ok, so today (more...)Med Mooring Madness
7th Oct, 2012
In Greece we lost our dinghy. Somehow it came separated from us during the sail from Paxos island to Preveza, a distance of about 30 nautical miles. We spent three days searching for it but, alas, I believe that some lucky Greek found it and figured Christmas had come early. Still, as the Greek police (more...)At Least We Weren’t Eaten!
7th Oct, 2012
After our crossing from Greece, we treated ourselves to a night on the town in Syracuse. Remembering a good restaurant that we went to last time, we headed to the large piazza in front of the Cathedral. The restaurant was not yet open. But there were not one, but TWO accordion players in the square. (more...)Arrived in Sicily – 50.5 hours.
5th Oct, 2012
What a lovely sail! We set off from Preveza in the morning of Wednesday, Oct 2nd, motoring through the calm. By lunchtime the northerly wind had arrived and we were close-hauled on starboard making over 7kts. The seas were moderate, the sky blue, and some dolphins joined us for a little while. The wind increased (more...)Fun in Corfu! We Leave for Sicily Tomorrow
2nd Oct, 2012
Wow…how time has gone so fast Welcome to Greece Jessica! We really enjoyed having Jessica around for a couple of weeks. The first week we rented a car for a couple of days. Went on a road trip up to Acheron River. We had so much fun horse back riding, zip line, rafting and walking (more...)Picking Up Jessica Tonight!
8th Sep, 2012
Wow, we have had some fun cruising around the Corfu and Lefkas area, as you can see from the map. Beautiful cruising around here: the sea is sheltered, so no waves. The winds are usually flat calm in the morning, but then pick up to a nice breeze in the afternoon. Mind you, the wind (more...)East coast of Corfu
30th Aug, 2012
After spending a couple of days in Kerkyra, we headed down the east coast. Our first stop was in a nice village of Benitses. I read somewhere that was a Greek Fiesta happening (to honour the mother of God, a local confirmed it for me..) on the next town of Gastouri, inland just up the (more...)Corfu, Greece
21st Aug, 2012
Welcome to Corfu town (also called Kerkyra) ……we got off the bus, after walking a few blocks, found a telephone place where we could buy internet. Noel realized his wallet was missing from his pocket. We also remembered he used it to pay the tickets on the bus. So we ran back to the bus station and there, they had it for us! That was a relief….lots of good honest people still around. Most people speak English and they all are so friendly and willing to help you, everywhere we have been. Soon we were all set up with a new internet connection and we were on our way visiting this old charming town of Kerkyra, with lots of shopping, Tavernas, elegant restaurants throughout the narrow streets and panoramic points.Sarandes, Albania – a Flying Visit
18th Aug, 2012
From Paleokastritsa we needed to go around the top of Corfu Island to go and check in. But we also needed to go outside the EU so as to reset our VAT clock (allowed a maximum of 18months in the EU otherwise we have to pay VAT on the boat). Since the trip to Albania (more...)Welcome to Corfu!
15th Aug, 2012
After 51 hours of mixed sailing and motoring, we have just anchored on the west coast of Corfu in a small bay with resorts at the head. We covered the 253 nautical miles at an average just under 5kts. The sail started off with 25kts of wind driving us along at 8 knots, and finished (more...)Just Passing the Toe of Italy
13th Aug, 2012
Leaving Catania we were stomping along at 8kts in 20-25 kts of wind. Then, 5 hours later, just six miles from the toe of Italy, the wind totally vanished. Just like that we were back to motoring. However, after an hour the wind picked up again, and now we are stomping along again at 6 kts. All very odd. So how are we publishing posts while at sea? Simple, we decided to scoot along the edge of Italy so we could snag some internet along the way! Seems to be working. But it is dark now, so time to sign off. See you in a couple of days 🙂Departing for Greece
13th Aug, 2012
We had a great day yesterday exploring Mt. Etna, but we will write about that shortly. However, we are departing this morning for a three day sail to Greece. And when we get there, we have to figure out how to connect. So we won’t be online for a few days. We are headed for Corfu and Lefka where we will spend a few weeks. Will be in touch when we can!Mt. Etna and Catania
12th Aug, 2012
From Syracuse we took a couple of days to sail and motor north to Catania, stopping to anchor at Augusta on the way. Nice anchorage, sheltered from most points apart from south and SW – but not sheltered from dozens of macho men and their planing machines, so it was a bit bumpy until the (more...)Syracuse
10th Aug, 2012
We had three pleasant days in Syracuse, well sheltered in the huge bay, although the first night was actually a bit bouncy from the SW wind and waves. First priority was, of course, to buy the new anchor, and dinghy it across to our boat. That involved three trips from shop to dinghy. Fortunately the (more...)Our New Rocna 33 Anchors!
9th Aug, 2012
Having had them on order, we finally picked up our new anchors in Syracuse. As you can see, the new Rocna 33 – which weighs, uh, 33kg – is quite a bit bigger than our hydrobubble. And, as you can also see, it has a concave shape rather than a convex shape to it. There (more...)Impressions of the Sicilian South Coast
4th Aug, 2012
We have just left Marina di Ragusa on a bright sunny Saturday morning. The sea is calm, and there is a nice 10kt sea breeze on our starboard quarter as we glide along at 5 knots with the spinnaker up. Doesn’t get much better than this! We have been fortunate with the winds. Since we (more...)Greek Temples at Selinunte and Agrigento
30th Jul, 2012
The Greeks, as you know, had a lot of gods. Which meant that they needed lots of temples in which to worship all those gods. Back then they had a good eye for architectural design, but not a lot of understanding of the principles of solid construction. So, to make sure stuff stayed upright, they (more...)Welcome to Marsala
27th Jul, 2012
We just arrived in Marsala anchored right outside the harbour, it was mostly weed but were able to find a sandy spot and dropped anchor. Marsala,view from when we were arriving at our anchorage Got the dinghy down and crossed the ugly green and brown waters of the harbour. Some friendly (more...)Just Arrived in Sicily
25th Jul, 2012
Well, we left at 7am yesterday in light winds and had a peaceful and uneventful crossing. Initially we had the spinnaker up and were stomping along, but then the wind got up to 15knots so we took it down. Replacing it with just the jib on a dead run. The wind then dropped a bit, (more...)Passage to Favignana, Sicily
25th Jul, 2012
Nice passage. The wind was astern for the most part of the trip so that meant spinnaker up. Sun goes down, spinnaker goes down, because with just with one of us on watch while the other sleeps, it’s not safe, as we have to go out front to adjust sail and all. So we slowed (more...)It Rained Today…
23rd Jul, 2012
We haven’t had a drop of rain since we left Cartagena, Spain mid May. But today it rained. No, I mean it RAINED. At the time we were ashore doing some shopping, as the sun was shining and it seemed a nice day! In just under an hour our dinghy had over 6 inches of fresh water in it. Then the rain eased off while we went back to the boat. And then it started raining again, and now the dinghy has another inch of water. Anyway, tomorrow it looks like good weather for a departure, so we are leaving Villasimius to head overnight to Sicily. Farewell Sardinia! We will keep you informed.Cagliary and Departure for Sicily
21st Jul, 2012
On my last entry, we had just arrived in Cagliary, south of Sardinia It was a really nice city, once we got through the ugly cement and cranes industrial nature of the harbour, and the long, hot and dusty walk into town. View of Cagliari from our anchorage Inside of it all, there is (more...)Viva L’Italia…..
20th Jul, 2012
Viva L’Italia….. where the beer costs the same as water. 3dollars, a beer, 3dollars a bottle water??? hhhmmmm!!!! We are still trying to figure out their menu. We decided to go out for a nice dinner of their local tradition, suckling pig. We went to this restaurant that had very high recommendations in the the (more...)3G+ Internet in Italy – Wow!
10th Jul, 2012
What a difference from Spain and Portugal! We went into the store, bought a USB dongle and 3 months of internet at 10Gb per month from TIM for only 49 euros! We plugged in the stick and it installed itself (even offering English as a language). We pressed the ‘connect’ button and it connected instantly. No fuss. No bother. No activation phone calls. No 87 hours on customer support to Vodaphone. Just fast internet that works. Wow.In Sardinia Now
6th Jul, 2012
We crossed over to Sardinia and will start to work our way down the West Coast. However, we haven’t been able to sort out a 3G SIM card yet, so internet will be spotty (cafe’s etc) until we do – so if you don’t hear from us for a few days, that is why!Schmoozing with the Stars – Again!
5th Jul, 2012
In the Caribbean the stars have Mustique. In the Med, they have Porto Cervo, one of George Clooney’s favorite hang-outs. Very plush, very expensive, and with no character at all. After the wild crossing from Calamoro, we arrived in Port Cervo early afternoon, just beating another catamaran on the way in. Just as well, as (more...)The West Coast of Corsica
3rd Jul, 2012
After the drama with our anchor, we spent a week or so in Calvi. First we had to buy some more chain, second, the wind was forecast to be SW force 5 – 7 for several days, which meant we couldn’t go further around the west coast until it had stopped, third, there was a (more...)Of Anchors Lost and Found
22nd Jun, 2012
From Centuri we tried to anchor in a small bay called Anse D’Algajola. Unfortunately the anchor snagged on a rock. As we tried to recover it, a wave lifted the boat and shock loaded the chain, which was bent around the side of the bow roller. One of the chain links bent and parted at (more...)Corsica – Isle of Beauty
18th Jun, 2012
I was looking forward to arriving in Corsica – and, unlike St. Lucia, it hasn’t failed to live up to expectations. Still unspoilt, it is rugged, beautiful and, of course, French. Which means cheeses! Ahh! First visit to the supermarket and we see rows and rows of cheeses. I loaded up. Then on the next (more...)Arrived in Corsica, Winds up to 44 kts
9th Jun, 2012
We arrived in Corsica yesterday morning, after a tiring but exciting two day crossing from Menorca. The forecast was for light to moderate winds from the south, turning to easterlies right at the end. Having filled up with water an fuel in Mahon, we departed in a brisk 15kt southerly wind, and put up the (more...)A Sailors Vocabulary
7th Jun, 2012
I must confess during my sailing voyages I have enjoyed reading some great murder, mystery and thriller novels many by John Grisham and James Patterson, amongst other great reads. But I had better get my sailing books out instead. I think while away I forgot a lot of stuff, plus the other day when Noel (more...)On Our Way to Corsica
6th Jun, 2012
Had a great week in Menorca – will get some pictures up when we have a chance. Today we depart on a 2 night sail to Corsica in, hopefully, light to moderate reaching conditions. Should be a nice spinnaker reach the whole way! Will keep you posted.The Nightly Mystery
31st May, 2012
At home, when you decide to go to bed, you go to bed: You get into bed, turn off the lights, and go to sleep. Not so when on a boat! Oh no… Life is always so much more complicated. Here the process is different. You go to bed. You turn off the light. And (more...)North West Mallorca – a Delightful Surprise!
29th May, 2012
My image of Mallorca was always one of brash tourist filled beaches lined with tacky high-rise hotels. I was not expecting to enjoy it too much, but figured we really should do the Balearics just to see. However, it all turned out very differently. After a beautiful 10 hour sail across from Ibiza in a (more...)A New Name for our Boat
24th May, 2012
Ibiza is known as a party town. We didn’t see much evidence of that, but then I guess we go to bed too early! Apart from that, there wasn’t too much to see. The old town was sort of cute, a bit like Obidos in Portugal, being situated in an old fortress, but the waterfront (more...)First Day Windsurfing
21st May, 2012
Today the wind is blowing 20-22kts from the North West, just as predicted. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and it is a perfect windsurfing day! So, finally, I get to try my brand new windsurfer, a 120 lt freewave board and a 6.5 sq. m. sail. All new stuff, with the (more...)